Linear Devices & WEST

Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER), Netherlands, operates Magnum PSI, and the Pilot-PSI devices, both linear plasma generators used to investigate plasma-surface interactions. Other linear plasma generators for studying plasma wall interactions, PSI-2 and JULE-PSI, are operated by Forschungszentrum Jülich. In southern France, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, CEA, upgraded the Tore Supra tokamak into the WEST, which is now used as a test platform for plasma facing components.

Magnum-PSI

Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER)'s linear plasma generator Magnum-PSI is unique in its capability to expose wall materials to the punishing conditions that exist at the fusion reactor exhaust (divertor). With Magnum-PSI, DIFFER and its international users investigate and develop wall materials that can withstand divertor conditions in ITER and fusion reactors that will be developed in the future.

The JULE-PSI project envisages a linear plasma device installed inside a hot cell. It will be capable of testing materials activated by the neutron irradiation. Tritiated samples can also be handled, though no tritium plasma operation is foreseen. The linear plasma device PSI-2 served as a pilot experiment for the JULE-PSI project.

Learn more about JULE-PSIand PSI-2 form the Forschungszentrum Jülich webpages.

WEST

The former Tore Supra tokamak which has evolved into WEST (W – tungsten Environment Steady-state Tokamak) to test the ITER divertor. Salient features of WEST include unique long pulse capabilities, high level of additional power and operation with actively cooled components including an actively cooled tungsten divertor.

Learn more about WEST from CEA's Institute for Magnetic Fusion Research webapge.

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Acknowledgement

This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from the Euratom research and training program 2014-2018 under grant agreement No 633053. The views and options expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commision.